Awake My Soul
by tardis.wholocked
Summary: Draco ends up befriending Hermione after they are stuck together because of potions class, but what happens when people start seeing the changes in Draco and it leads to more?
1. Chapter 1

Hermione rushed into the potions room to see everyone staring at her. She was never late, but if she hadn't been up so late reading she may not have been in this situation.  
"Thank you Miss Granger for finally gracing us with your presence, since everyone has already paired up except Mr. Malfoy you can partner with him," he sneered looking at the empty seat.  
With a huff she dragged herself over to the seat but still kept as much distance between herself and the blond as possible. Frustrated she picked up and a mandrake root and began chopping it as required.  
"Long night with Potter and the Weasel Granger?" Malfoy drawled.  
She glared at him but said nothing before resuming her chopping, albeit a little more vehemently. She was about to add the required amount to their caldron when Malfoy knocked her arm spilling in way more than was called for. The liquid turned into a dark green sludge which spit out of the top onto Hermione's arm.  
"Great going mudblood, we've just failed. It's ruined because of your mistake," sneered the boy next to her.  
Snape's voice cut in from behind them, "Miss Granger you know better than to measure over a caldron like that and Mr. Malfoy, do not use that word in my class. Take Miss Granger to the hospital wing and I will see you both at six for detention."

"But professor-" They began but were quickly cut off.

"You will go without complaint or I shall extend it to much longer."

Hermione turned and stomped out without looking to see whether Draco was following or not. Of course. Not only had she been late and paired with him, but now she had detention with him as well.

They walked to the hospital wing in silence, both too engrossed in their own thoughts to care about the other. Snape rarely ever gave Slytherins detention, and never over a mudblood comment. It was such a strange occurrence that both attributed it to an extremely bad day.

Neither had realized they reached the hospital wing so quickly and so Hermione paused before heading in. She didn't turn back to look but she thought she heard Draco mutter something before he walked away.

"Sorry about your arm."


	2. Chapter 2

"Sorry about your arm."

He walked away mentally berating himself. Why had he done that? She was a mudblood. She was Granger. Hermione Granger, she was the Weasel's golden girl.

Despite that though he couldn't get the incident out of his mind, she had refused to let her tears fall despite the obviously painful burn on her arm. The moment he saw it Draco immediately regretted the words which had tumbled out of his mouth.

This was ridiculous. He was a Malfoy, he had hated that know-it-all mudblood for four years now and here he was with sympathy for her. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration as he stalked back into the potions room. He snatched up his stuff and left, not caring about whether class was over or where his feet were taking him.

After Madam Pomfrey had finished fussing over her, Hermione had taken her stuff and gone to the library. She was searching through the books for something interesting when she hit something solid. Bracing herself to hit the ground she was steadied by a pale hand around her wrist.

"You just can't get enough of me can you Granger?" Malfoy smirked.

She snatched her wrist back and glared at him. Ignoring the pain which seared from the contact with the burn she replied but sounded more tired than she had hoped. "I don't need to see you; my day has already been bad enough."

As she whirled around and stormed off in the other direction she never saw the way his eyes softened when she said that and forgot to pick up the small paperback she dropped. Smirking to himself he picked it up and walked back to his usual spot away from most people.

After a couple minutes he caught himself watching the muggle-born sit at a table and open a dusty tome. He looked down at the paperback in his hands, it was some muggle novel called "Pride and Prejudice." He smiled to himself as he noticed the condition of the book the corners were curling slightly and it was obviously well read. He opened the cover to see her name scrawled in delicate, curving handwriting, and then took one last glimpse up before immersing himself in the novel.

Draco wasn't sure how long he had been in there but by the time he glance up Granger was gone. Looking at his watch he realized he only had fifteen minutes before his detention with Snape. It would be just enough time to take his stuff to his dorm and make it down to the classroom.

Leaving at once he arrived at the classroom at exactly six with Granger waiting there already. Maybe they could survive this, but it was unlikely.


	3. Chapter 3

"You will be cleaning up your mess from earlier today and organizing the ingredients in the closet. You have detention for as long as this takes and there will be no magic of course." Snape smirked at them before collecting their wands and stalking back into his office his robes billowing behind him.

They looked around to see pails of soapy water and rags waiting for them, settling to work without speaking they each grabbed one. It didn't take long for Hermione to realize this wasn't going to work long with her wrist immobilized by bandages. Tearing them off she scowled at the oozing sores and gasped slightly as the water stung her.

Hearing this Draco glanced up. The fabric was strewn carelessly around Hermione and she was biting her lip as she scrubbed at the floor. Her wrist and arm was covered in blisters almost up to the elbow with green puss leaking from some. He ignored the pang of guilt and smiled slightly. Leave it to Granger to ignore pain so that she could do things properly. She was so different from other girls it was almost refreshing.

He turned back to what he was doing and soon they had almost finished with the mess. Then something had occurred to him- partners. It was the beginning of term and- oh Salazar.

"Granger?"

"What Malfoy?" Hermione's voice held the typical defensive ring, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. She just looked discouraged, probably from the day's events he realized.

His mouth went dry at what he was about to say but he wasn't unkind. Really, Draco was almost curious about her reaction, "We're partners until the end of term."

Hermione's eyes widened as she realized he was right. She snapped her head down and scrubbed furiously before she could let herself think about that anymore. Obviously the universe was trying to punish her, was taking revenge for something and she was trying to determine what it was when he spoke again.

"I don't know about you, but I don't want to fail." He smirked to himself when she looked up at him once more. "Perhaps we could call a truce?"

He watched her mouth open and close several times before nodding and turning back to the floor. Draco had even surprised himself a little with the offer, but he was second in their class and wasn't about to lose it because of a few unsatisfactory arrangements.

By the time they had finished it was a little after two in the morning. They hadn't even started on the closet yet but that would have to wait. They had class tomorrow and needed at least some rest. They walked out in silence until they reached where they split, then Hermione tossed a quick goodbye over her shoulder. Draco smiled to himself as he strolled off towards his dorm. "Bye Granger."


	4. Chapter 4

The next day Hermione sat at breakfast thinking as Ron and Harry talked about Quidditch. Tensing slightly she felt as though someone were watching her. She looked around but couldn't find the culprit until her warm brown eyes met stormy grey.

Quickly, Malfoy looked away, but she stared just a moment longer. She gathered up her things and left. While she was not exactly sure what potions would be like today, she would know in about ten minutes. Malfoy walked in and sat on the stool next to her smirking, as usual.

"Hello Granger," he greeted, but for once it wasn't mocking or unkind in any way, merely acknowledging.  
"Hello Malfoy," she said with just a hint of a smile. Turning back she started taking notes as Snape began his lecture on the uses of Unicorn horn. Being so engrossed in what she was doing she forgot who was next to her until their arms hit each other. She tensed up waiting for a harsh remark as usual. Malfoy however had been completely lost in thought himself and apologized. She was surprised for a moment before muttering a quick "It's fine."

Then Snape's voice cut through her thoughts. "Miss Granger, stop talking to Malfoy, or would you like me to add more detention?"

Draco spoke up instead, "Sorry professor. I was asking Granger if she had any ink."

Several people looked at them strangely and Hermione herself was shocked at this before Snape continued to drone on. She tried to catch his eyes to show her gratitude for his actions but he had already lost focus on anything around him. Soon class was over and the day was relatively uneventful until after her last class.

Hermione found herself cornered in the common room by an angry Ron while Harry was at practice.

"You sure looked chummy with Malfoy today," he sneered.

"Ron, it was nothing." She didn't want to get into this right now. It would only end in them not speaking.

"He took the blame so you wouldn't get detention. This is Malfoy we're talking about 'Mione. He doesn't do that for Slytherins, let alone Gryffindors and definitely not us. He wasn't even insulting you. He has to be up to something." Ron's face was only growing redder and his hand were clenched into fists so tight his knuckles were white.

"We're partners for the rest of term. Is it so hard to believe that he could just care about his grades more than some petty grudge?"

"Really Hermione? I know you aren't that stupid."

At this she felt the tears star to roll onto her cheeks and ran out wiping them away angrily. How dare he? What did he know about anything? She stomped away not really caring where she went, she just needed to be out of there.

Draco was coming from his usual spot in the library when he noticed a curled up figure in one of the aisles. Looking at the familiar brown hair and figure he realized who it was.

"Granger?" he asked. His voice had come out much softer than he expected but decided it was unimportant right now.

When she looked up her warm chocolate eyes were rimmed with red and her cheeks were tear-stained. "Go away." To her relief she found her voice was still quite steady despite her inner uneasiness.

More concerned than he wanted to be he stuck out a hand to help her up. "Come on, we have detention soon, you can explain there."

She bit her lip as it occurred to her that she had completely forgotten about that. This was yet another reason to have some gratitude towards the blond.

"What makes you think I want to tell you?"

Draco couldn't help but smirk as she stood up and started walking with him. "I've gone to school with you for years. The only people you trust with anything are the only reason you ever cry." Even then he surprised himself but he supposed that you pick it up whether you like the person or not.

She sighed and not for the first time she was completely confused. When had he started to notice that? Perhaps it was his statement which made her do it, or maybe it was her anger that led her to confide in him. Either way, she knew she would concede.


	5. Chapter 5

Once Snape unlocked the closet and they were alone Hermione felt the penetrating gaze from Malfoy's grey eyes settle on her.

"What'd they do?"

"It isn't that important. I probably overreacted anyway," she said still trying to avoid the subject. She really felt rather stupid about it but that didn't mean she was ready to forgive Ron.

"Granger you said you would tell me."

She sighed and began to relate the events which had transpired since herbology. She explained how Harry had been ignoring her and all the snide comments Ron had made and then the argument.

"Those idiots," Malfoy muttered, although mostly to himself. He felt a rush of anger seep through him and he shoved the vials of salamander blood back on the shelf rather violently. It wouldn't be until later that he questioned his reaction. All he was focused on now was finding a way to hex Potter and Weasley without Hermione getting mad at him.

Hermione looked at him, his shoulders were tensed and he was putting things on the shelf quite roughly. He had been acting strangely all day but she found his company to be strangely bearable.

"Malfoy?"

Startled from his thoughts he felt himself relax as he looked at her.

"Yes Granger?"

"You're not so bad." Hermione never thought she'd be saying that to Malfoy of all people. She was even more confused when he returned her smile.

"Neither are you." He watched as her smile grew and playfully shoved her. He decided then that he no longer cared about the past, he enjoyed having her around.

Over the course of the week they reached a point where he decided they were probably friends. He gave it some thought and while he felt that it was too simplistic a term, he was stuck without a better one. He wasn't exactly sure about her, but after that she had begun confiding in him more.

They kept all prior pretenses of course. Neither of them wanted their houses to know that they were anything more than begrudging potions partners. By the Friday, they had finished their detention and while neither would admit to it, they would almost miss it.

The next day was the Quidditch match. It was the first one of the year, and if that wasn't enough it was a Gryffindor versus Slytherin match. The hype around the school was crazy. Hermione was down at breakfast with Harry and Ron who had seemed to at least temporarily forgive her. She was munching on her toast and not really paying attention when she noticed people were staying towards the Gryffindor table. When she turned around she saw Malfoy striding towards her with a book in his hands.

"Here Granger, You left that. I assumed you would want it back."

Her copy of "Pride and Prejudice" lay on the table in front of her but when she turned around to thank him he had already left. As she picked it up to put it in her bag a folded piece of parchment fell into her lap.

Granger,

You dropped this the first night of detention in the library and before I realized it you had left so I picked it up. Hope you didn't mind my reading it. For a muggle story it isn't too bad. Have any more I can borrow?

She smiled at the return of her book and was rather interested in why he bothered to read it but let it go. Tucking the book in note in her bag she returned to her toast happily.


	6. Chapter 6

There was still an hour before the match but Hermione found herself out on the pitch anyway. Not even Harry would be out here for another 45 minutes so she sat down on the grass and opened a book. It was a nice day and perfect for outdoor reading.

Apparently however she wasn't the only one who wanted to be away from everyone because ten minutes later a familiar voice broke her concentration.

"I'm surprised Potter and the Weasel have let you out of their sight after I gave you your book back," Malfoy teased.

"They barely noticed me this morning, they're caught up in the excitement for the match. "

Most people would have missed it but Draco caught the hint of pain in her voice. "Granger-"

"Hermione."

Taken aback he was slightly confused. " What?"

"We're friends right?"

He could see the glimmer of hope in her warm eyes and wondered how anyone could ever say no to that. He definitely couldn't. "Of course we are."

"Then call me Hermione," she stuck her tongue out at him before returning to her book.

Oh. Right. Friends don't usually call each other by last names.

"Then it's only fair that you call me Draco." He smirked at her before snatching her book.

"Mal- Draco! Give me my book back." Her voice had taken on that bossy edge which he could remember used to annoy him to no end, but now he couldn't do anything besides smile at her. Not to mention the fact of her saying his name had made his stomach do somersaults.

"No, I don't think I will."

He had tucked the book behind his back as she grabbed at it and laughed at her feeble attempts to retrieve it. She grinned at the sound of his laugh and finally gave up. This was the first time Draco had ever really laughed around her, free of sarcasm or bitterness and she decided she liked it quite a bit.

She laid down on the grass and moments later Draco joined her.

"In case you're wondering, Pansy is being as annoying as ever," he growled.

"Aren't you dating her?" She had this sinking feeling in her stomach but pushed it away.

Draco laughed quite derisively this time before replying, "She seems to think so. Not so much a girlfriend as a disgusting bint I can't get rid of. Kissing her is like trying to kiss a dog."

Hermione shook as peals of laughter erupted from her and the sinking feeling was replaced by relief. She had always found to be Pansy rather like a pug in some respects.

Draco had rolled on his side and smiled at the girl beside him who was consumed by mirth. Not for the first time he admired how her hair was tamed in comparison to what he always thought of it and her eyes crinkled when she laughed. Again a thought slipped into his mind which had been there quite frequently, but he found himself not really caring. Hermione Granger was stunning.

Hermione finally regained her composure and was watching the sky when she heard voices. It was clearly Harry and the other members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Suddenly she was gripped by panic and looked around but there was no way to get anywhere to hide in time.

"Draco."

"Yes? What is it?" The concern in his voice was obvious.

"Gryffindors. "

He looked up and sa the team headed their way and he too realized there was nowhere to hide. The Slytherins would not be far behind.

"I guess they'll just have to know," he said giving her a reassuring glance.

"But, Draco-"her eyes said everything. He would be shunned by his house mates and friends, word would reach his father, it was very likely he would only be left with her. Her eyes said everything- Are you sure?

And as soon as he looked into them he knew the answer. He nodded and gave her a quick smile.

She broke out into a grin and then her name was called. It was icy and full of anger.

"Hermione."

She looked over to see the faces of her fellow Gryffindors twisted into expressions of hurt and betrayal.

"What do you think you're doing with him?" Fred asked stepping forward. He and George began walking towards them, obviously intent on hurting Draco.

Draco was stepping forward and pulling her behind him when she stepped in front of him and glared at the twins.

"No." She said it mostly to Draco. He was outnumbered and would do nothing but get hurt or in trouble.

"Get away from him 'Mione," Harry said quietly.

"No. You guys can hate him or me all you want, but we're friends now." Her voice was raised but she didn't care. How dare they try and control who she would speak to.

That was when Ron walked up, their faces mere inches apart. "What do you think you're doing with him 'Mione? This is Malfoy. He's a Slytherin. He's tormented us for years. He's a death eater and his dad has tried to kill Harry before. You're a mudblood 'Mione. He doesn't want anything to do with you. He's using you. How could you actually think he cares about you? Clearly you're just a stupid whore who will give anyone the time of day that's the least bit nice to you." He voice had gradually gotten louder until he was screaming at her and then he slapped her. Everyone was silent for a brief moment from shock but then Draco was pulling her back and throwing punches at Ron's face. The twins then jumped in to defend their brother.

"Stop. Fred, George, please. Stop!" She cried, finally dragging Draco away off the pitch. Looking over his injuries she sighed.

"You shouldn't have done that Draco."

"He shouldn't have slapped you," he growled glaring at the bruise which now marred Hermione's cheek.

Absent-mindedly she reached up to touch it and smiled slightly. "Thank you."

While Draco was lost in thought and Hermione was intent on getting him to the hospital wing neither noticed the strange looks which were following them up to the castle from other students.


	7. Chapter 7

Hello! Thank you all for reading and for the reviews. I intend to keep updating regularly and I hope everyone keeps enjoying it. :) Oh, and seeing as I forgot the disclaimer, I don't own any of this.

* * *

After leaving the hospital wing, Draco's broken nose and wrist were fixed and they were cleaned up when they realized that the match would have already started. Draco was supposed to be playing seeker, but obviously someone would have filled in by now.

"I'm so sorry Draco. We should have just staged an argument or something." Hermione looked close to tears when he grabbed her shoulders and tilted her face up to look at him.

"Hermione I would rather be here with you than out there right now. I chose to be open about my friendship with you and I don't regret it at all." He was trying to ignore the twisting in his stomach as he spoke but a blush crept into his features nonetheless.

She smiled at his honesty before linking arms with him and dragging him upstairs to the corridor which held the Room of Requirement. She paced, wishing for a place to enjoy Draco's company before the wall moved. Opening the door which had been revealed she knew that the room was perfect. Shelves full of books lined the walls and candles provided ample lighting. There was a sofa and chairs, as well as pillows and blankets.

"Wow Hermione, you didn't mention this before?"

"I just found it last night. I thought that maybe we could keep everything quiet and meet here," she said, not quite meeting his eyes.

"Really, what will it take for you to believe-"

"I believe you. I do, I just wish…" her voice trailed off and he knew what she was saying. If everybody wasn't so stupid, if she were a Slytherin, or he a Gryffindor- he stopped himself. That thought was ridiculous. Why would he, Draco Malfoy ever want to be a Gryffindor? Yet the answer stood right in front of him with curly brown hair, and eyes full of concern and loyalty. Clearly this was going too far, but he couldn't stop if he had wanted to anyway.

For the first time ever he wrapped her in his arms. At first she was a little tense from the usual contact, but then relaxed and leaned into him enjoying the warmth. Draco himself was surprised at how much he enjoyed it as he had never even enjoy hugs from his mother. Hermione however, was completely different to hold. She was warm and soft and fit snugly against him. Unable to help himself he smiled into her hair before releasing her.

"It doesn't matter," he said reassuringly as he sat in one of the chairs. Hermione sat on the sofa and smiled.

After a moment or two of silence a thought came to her and she was almost hopeful speaking up. "Do you want to play twenty questions?"

"What is that?"

"It's a muggle game. We take turns asking questions and have to answer truthfully."

He thought about it a bit before deciding it wasn't a horrible idea. Draco realized he didn't know anything about Hermione outside of class. Finally, he agreed.

They got through the obvious questions, favourite food or colour, but there were deeper questions as well.

"Who is the one person you would trust with anything?" Hermione asked.

He answered without thinking. "You."

She gave him an odd look before deciding just to wait for a question herself. Draco however, wasn't going to let her off that easily.

"Why are you so surprised by that?"

"Well in case you haven't noticed we hated each other for years. We've only been friend for a week and I'm sure you have friends in your own house you'd rather confide in. I'm just the mudblood remember?" she said it with a hint of teasing but he could tell she still was hurt by his words from the past. A word, which now sounded cruel and vulgar, that Draco hadn't said in days.

His eyes widened slightly at her words and he hated himself for ever hurting her. "Hermione, you are truly the only person I've ever even considered confiding in at all. I don't want to hurt you anymore and I hope you can forgive me for the past."

She smiled at him and nodded. Their game continued a bit longer before she picked up a book. Eventually, Draco looked up from his own to see her curled up asleep with the book slipping from her hands. He pulled the book away and set it on the table before draping a blanket over her small figure. It wasn't until then that he realized just how delicate she was and his anger at Weasley returned. He had no right to do what he had earlier. Resigning himself ro his thoughts he settled back in his chair, waiting for Hermione to awaken. Strangely enough she was all that had occupied his thoughts all week.


	8. Chapter 8

Draco ended up having to wake Hermione up so that they wouldn't miss dinner.

"Hermione," he said softly. No response. "'Mione," he tried again, shaking her shoulder.

"Go away," she moaned, throwing a pillow and hitting him in the face. He chuckled softly before deciding to declare war, sure that this would get her up.

"Fine," he said playfully. He scooped her off the sofa so her head was resting against his chest. He smiled a bit when she nuzzled closer but refused to admit defeat. "'Mione, I'm going to carry you into the Great Hall like this if you don't wake up."

Hermione however was still mostly unconscious; she looked up at him with half closed eyes and a lopsided grin on her face. "You called me 'Mione. It sounds nice." She then nuzzled her head back into his chest and went back to sleep.

Draco chuckled before trying again to wake her, "'Mione, you need to wake up. If we walk into the dinner like this your Gryffindorks will try to curse me into oblivion."

Her eyelids fluttered open again and she mumbled something softly to prove she was awake. Then Hermione glimpsed up and saw how close he was when she realized she was being carried. He smirked at her flushed cheeks and set her down but left his hand entwined with hers.

"Draco, you were carrying me."

"Way to state the obvious 'Mione."

"You're also calling me by my nickname."

"Yes, and from what you said it sounds like you enjoy it," he said with a wink.

"What did I say?" she asked flushing and slightly worried. She was severely worried that her sleep induced behavior had betrayed a feeling she had been ignoring for days.

Draco fluttered his eyelids so they were half way shut and smiled sweetly before mimicking her voice, "You called me 'Mione. It sounds nice. You're just so charming."

She smacked his arm knowing that the last bit didn't actually happen. By this point they had reached the Great Hall; many people had stop and stared, talking in hushed whispers. Hermione and Draco looked at each other and soon they were headed toward the end of the Gryffindor table. He figured it would be best to keep her as far away from the Slytherins as possible.

They were laughing when a voice from behind startled them.

"Draco! How could you? I can't believe the Gryffindors were telling everyone the truth. Get away from that mudblood." Pansy was behind them with her hands on her hips and her voice was more whiney than angry. As soon as she had said the last sentence Draco was towering over her. His face was the colour of Ron's hair and his fists were clenched so tightly Hermione though she saw crimson mar his pale hands. When he spoke his voice was louder than necessary and if people weren't staring before, they definitely were now.

"Don't you dare call her that, I don't care about her blood, she is a better person than you will ever be you hateful hag. Yes I am friends with her now and your opinion on it doesn't matter at all. If you are that worried just go owl my father you backstabbing whore. It's what you always do isn't it? Surely he can fix it for you. Until then, leave her alone. Don't even look at her."

She stood there speechless with a look of disgust on her face and walked back to the Slytherin table. Draco sat back down and wrapped his arm protectively around Hermione. He was just beginning to get uncomfortable from all of the looks directed at them when he was saved by McGonagall. He fought back a snort at that thought alone.

"Mr. Malfoy, Miss Granger, could you please come with me?"

Hermione's eyes grew wide but Draco looked nonchalant as he strolled behind her. McGonagall also grabbed Potter and the Weasels, much to his distaste, but he didn't say anything for Hermione's sake.


End file.
